The Price
by Jenn B
Summary: Roxton relives his past as the one event that constantly haunts him reoccurs on a whole new, and very real level...involving Marguerite. M/R First TLW fic.
1. Chapter One

Title: The Price  
Author: Jenn B.  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: Roxton relives his past as the one event that constantly haunts him reoccurs on a whole new, and very real level...involving Marguerite. M/R  
AN: My first Lost World fic. I'm a new fan but this scenario just leaped into my head during a bout of insomnia and a fanfiction reading spree. :-).  
Website (still a work in progress!!): http://www.geocities.com/intotheunknowntlw  
Disclaimer: No I didn't create them...although I would have liked to! The plot is from my demented mind though!  
  
The jungle glistened with early morning dew as numerous birds welcomed the sunrise with their cheerful songs. Lord John Roxton enjoyed a rare moment or serenity as he gazed out at the landscape around him from the folds of the tent he was sharing with Ned Malone. Glancing at the neighboring tent he wondered if Marguerite was stirring from sleep yet. The trio was coming to the end of a week long hunting expedition, stocking up food for what Challenger had predicted would be month of heavy, and dangerous, visiting monsoons. Roxton was more than a little eager to return to the tree house and sleep in his own bed; and he knew from Marguerite's recent complaints that even if it meant getting up early she wanted to return home as soon as possible as well.   
A crackle of branches stemming from somewhere behind the campers made the hairs on the back of Roxton's neck stand up in anticipation of approaching danger and with one swift move he grabbed his hat and rifle and alerted Malone with a nudge of his elbow. Looking the startled reporter in the eye, Roxton jerked his head towards the rear of the tent, alerting the other man to the danger as another crack echoed through the jungle. Ned nodded and grabbed the spare rifle, following his friend cautiously out of the tent.  
  
" What do you think it is?" Ned whispered, steadying his rifle in preparation for their defense.  
  
" I don't know." Roxton answered quietly, a roar interrupting him. " Raptors!" He shouted, rushing over to Marguerite's tent to rouse her from sleep. To his horror, as he flung the flaps aside, he was greeted not with the expected gray eyes flashing with annoyance but to an empty tent.  
  
" She's gone!" He shouted to Ned, who blinked in surprise before jumping into action as the first of what seemed to be many raptors sprang, ready for attack, into the clearing in front of him. The gunshot was piercing as it felled the first raptor. Roxton soon became occupied with two others who surrounded him, shooting quickly at his foes, his mark unerring.  
Ned spotted another in the bushes and took the fourth out of commission before it had a chance to cause trouble. The silence that then settled around the two adventurers made them more uneasy than the noises that at least gave them a fair warning. Both men were visibly tensed, guns held at the ready. Roxton's eyes shifted slowly from side to side, shaded by the brim of his hat, scanning the brush for any more of their 'friends'.  
  
" I spotted five." He announced softly to his companion, who nodded in acknowledgment.  
  
A snap of a twig behind them had the skilled hunter whirling around and firing in a matter of seconds; his victim's body falling audibly to the ground with a sickening thud.  
  
" That's five." Malone declared, lowering his rifle with relief.  
  
" Yes, now where in the bloody hell did Marguerite get off to!" He growled in a futile attempt to disguise the worry in his voice as the grip of panic rose up to grasp at his throat as he swallowed the lump forming there.   
  
" We'll find her." Ned assured him calmly. " She probably went back to investigate those crystal deposits we had to pull her away from yesterday."  
  
" That woman will be the death of me yet." Roxton grumbled under his breath, his mind's eye picturing the raven haired heiress happily picking away at shiny stones while he was out of his head with worry. A small smile crept up the corners of his mouth at the mental image.  
Shaking his head to bring his focus back to the present he walked back to the tent to retrieve his pistols.   
  
" We should split up. Circle around near the deposits we found and I'll head south."  
  
" Right." Ned agreed before heading off.  
  
Roxton walked in the direction where minutes earlier he had shot the final raptor, when a small moan pricked at his hearing. Brow furrowed, he slowly approached the cluster of bushes that the sound seemed to come from. When he didn't immediately see any evidence of what he had heard, he almost thought he was imagining things until a weak cough, radiating with pain caused his heart to plummet to his stomach. Pushing through a particularly thick grove of bushes he came to a small opening where the smell of blood immediately assaulted his strong sense of smell. Expecting to see the raptor he had killed earlier he glanced to his left only to see the most horrific sight he had ever witnessed in his hunting career.  
His beautiful Marguerite lay crumpled on the ground, her chest barely heaving with breath, and a pool of blood stemming from a location on her chest spreading around her. 


	2. Chapter Two

" Margurite!" He gasped in shock, unable to move for a moment, his eyes growing wide with fear. Finally coming to his senses Lord Roxton rushed over to his beloved, dropping to his knees and cradling her head in his lap, willing her eyes to open. " Marguerite!" Her cream colored skin was even paler than usual and her lush red lips were tinged with a frightening shade of blue. On further inspection, the wound on her chest was obviously caused by a bullet, by Roxton's own bullet that was meant for the raptor he had never actually seen lurking in the bushes, making the hunter go numb as he unwillingly flashed back to his brother's similar death. " No." He whispered almost inaudibly. " No! MALOOONE!" He shouted, gripping Marguerite tighter in his arms, cradling her limp form as if she were a sleeping child.   
" Marguerite, open your eyes love. Please wake up." He pleaded, tears rushing to his eyes.  
The flutter of her long, dark lashes sent a ray of hope surging through him.  
  
" J- John?" She said softly  
  
" I'm here, Marguerite. You're going to be fine now."  
  
" Wha-what happened?"  
  
" It was an accident Marguerite. I didn't mean- You're going to be fine. We're going to get you patched up and home where Challenger can help you."  
  
At that moment Ned came running into the clearing, out of breath, coming to a quick halt as he took in the scene before him.   
  
" My god." He gasped  
  
" Go to the tent and get something we can use as a bandage!" Roxton commanded with a urgent glare at Ned. " Hurry!"   
  
" I'm cold." Margurite murmured.  
  
" Malone's getting some supplies now, it won't be much longer. Just hold on."  
  
" So tired." She whispered, her voice fading as her eyes drifted closed.  
  
" No! Marguerite, open your eyes!"   
  
" John-" she gasped before she stilled completely.  
  
" MARGUERITE! Wake up! Damn you! Open your eyes!" Roxton shouted hysterically, shaking her prone form.  
  
" Roxton!" Ned shouted at him, throwing down the supplies and prying him away from Marguerite's stationary body. As the blonde man reached down to her neck to take her pulse, Roxton stood and turned away violently, staring at the red blood staining his hands. Eyes glazing over he fell once again to his knees, the underbrush crackling under his weight.  
A chill settled over the hunter's body as shock and grief consumed him. She was dead. The woman he loved was dead. With that final thought he passed out, welcoming the forgiving darkness. 


	3. Chapter Three

"Roxton." A woman's voice called out distantly. " Roxton, are you awake?"  
  
John opened his eyes to meet the concerned blue eyes of Veronica. His mind was blissfully blank and sleep addled and he glanced up at her in confusion. The roof of the treehouse was a backdrop to her worried face; odd since the last thing he recalled was falling asleep in the tent on a hunting expedition  
  
" Thank god. We were getting worried, old boy." Challenger's voice said from somewhere off to his right.  
  
" What-?" Roxton croaked, his sore and parched throat preventing the rest of his sentence from being voiced. His eyes felt as if someone had thrown sand into them and his eyelids seemed to stick together slightly whenever he blinked.  
  
" Here drink this." Veronica said, offering him a glass of water.  
  
" What happened?" Roxton repeated after swallowing a generous amount of the liquid.  
  
His friends glanced at each other with obvious concern which alerted the hunter to the feeling he had that something was terribly wrong.  
  
" What do you remember?" Challenger gently prodded, sitting on the edge of the bed that Roxton rested on.  
  
" Malone, Marguerite and I were out hunting for extra supplies." He slowly replied after a moment's thought. " I remember falling asleep...no waking up early this morning to a raptor invasion of out campsite. Marguerite was missing-" John's eyes widened in terror as the horrid memories came cruelly rushing back. " No. Tell me that was a nightmare, Challenger."  
  
" I'm afraid it wasn't Roxton. The bullet seemed to have ricocheted off a nearby tree; it hit Marguerite, veritably saving her from a predatory raptor but hitting her in the process."  
  
" George. I killed her. I murdered her!" Roxton gasped.  
  
" What? No. You misunderstand me, John. You didn't-"  
  
" I killed her. Just as I killed my brother. I don't deserve to live." Roxton growled in defiance to the scientist's attempt at consolation; a frightening glint settling in his eyes.  
  
" Roxton!" Veronica gasped.  
  
" John. Listen to me! You are not a murderer." Challenger began only to be interrupted by Roxton's attempts to argue. " You didn't murder her! She isn't dead ,John!"  
  
" What?" Roxton huffed in disbelief. " But I saw her; I held her in my arms as she-"  
  
" It was a close call, I'll say that. Malone managed to set up a temporary barrier to camouflauge you from hungry predators while he carried Margurite back here in time for her to receive the necessary medical care. She is in bad shape, but she's strong and I do believe she'll pull through this. The bullet missed her heart so the worst penalty against her was the blood loss. "  
  
" That doesn't change the fact that I shot her." Roxton murmered biterly.  
" No," Veronica spoke up, " but it doesn't make you a murderer either." 


	4. Epilogue

The earliest moment that Challenger would let the recovering Roxton get out of bed, the harried man was keeping a vigil at the still unconscious Marguerite's bedside. Taking a frail hand in his own, he grasped it tightly to his chest as if his own heartbeat could help strengthen her own. Her cheeks still lacked their rosy tint, but her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and her pulse throbbed beneath his palms.  
He maintained this position for days on end, forgetting to eat except when reminded by one of the other explorers and sleeping only when sheer exhaustion prevented him from doing otherwise. He ignored the companionship of the others who one at a time stayed with him and Marguerite. Roxton's whole focus was on seeing those lovely gray eyes open again with that smile in them that was reserved just for him.  
Finally after a week of impatient waiting, all were rewarded by a stirring from Marguerite. Roxton literally jumped up from the chair where he had been about to doze off and called frantically for Challenger.  
  
" She's waking up." Challenger smiled triumphantly after looking over his patient. " I knew she would get through this."  
  
" Stubborn." Ned said with a fond grin on his face that was returned by all but Roxton.  
  
" Marguerite?" John called softly, almost afraid to hope.  
  
" Hmm.." She groaned softly, turning her head slightly so that she was facing him.  
  
" Open your eyes for us, Marguerite." Roxton pleaded gently.  
  
" Hmm- Roxton?" She said softly, her voice crackling from disuse as her eyes fluttered opened, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. A collective sigh of relief went through everyone in the room and Roxton smiled a genuine smile for what seemed the first time in ages.  
  
" Hello." He murmured. " How are you feeling."  
  
" Umm- sore. What happened?"  
  
" Here drink this." Malone interrupted, handing Roxton a glass of water so that he could assist her in drinking it.  
  
  
" Thank you, that's better. Now would someone please tell me what happened?  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
The relationship between the still recovering Marguerite and Roxton in the months to come was undeniably tense. Marguerite had nothing but sympathy for Roxton; having some idea what he must have gone through. He on the other hand, held within him nothing but guilt and avoided conversation with her when at all possible.  
Finally Marguerite grew tired of his avoidance and angrily confronted him; forcing him to talk to her.  
  
" Roxton! What is wrong with you lately!" She exploded  
  
" What?" He glanced up, shocked at her outburst.  
  
" You're avoiding my like I have some sort of disease and every time I try and talk to you you make up an excuse to disappear! What is going on?"  
  
" Marguerite, don't." he said casting her a remorseful look.  
  
" Oh I don't think so, John. Not this time."  
  
" I don't want to discuss this with you, Marguerite! I feel bad enough already without you rubbing it in!"  
  
" You honestly think I'd do that?" She said, somewhat hurt.  
  
" You'd have every right."  
  
" Roxton. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."  
  
" I should have been paying attention!"  
  
" You saved my life!"  
  
" What?"  
  
" Roxton, that raptor was seconds away from making me his next meal. I was so preoccupied with the crystals I had recovered earlier that I didn't even hear it approach. If anyone is to blame here it's me."  
  
" No. I shot blindly-"  
  
" And you hit the raptor! You heard what George said; the bullet bounced off of a tree, you couldn't have possibly anticipated that happening!"  
  
" Marguerite-," he started, surprised to be choaked by tears. " I'm sorry. I'm so, sorry. If I'd lost you-"  
  
" I know. You're forgiven, John. You always were."  
  
The couple carefully embraced for the first time since their ordeal; while unbeknownst to them three smiling faces were looking on with joy. They were finally whole again. The nightmare was over.  
  
The End  
  
What'd you think? ;-) Review? Please? 


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